you are so beautiful
but not in the ways you would expect

i saw the sadness in your eyes
how they seemed to escape the prison you held them in
even for the most fleeting of moments
they shone in your eyes for a second
and they were gone the next
locked away where no one would ever see it
yet despite this,
you are humble and always kind
and for that, you are beautiful

i saw the weariness in your bones
aching muscles and tired limbs still forced to do the day’s work
as they tremble in exhaustion
and protest their misuse
yet despite this,
you are steadfast and you are strong
and for that, you are beautiful

i saw your hurt and your pain
moments where your breath is taken away
as you sit numb and in shock
the times you would falter in step
your head bowed deep, willing your tears not to fall
yet despite this,
you do not lash out, you are not angry
and for that, you are beautiful

you love despite not receiving that love in return
you are kind even when the world is anything but
you are beautiful because you are fighting
despite the gods’ insistence to keep you down

i hope you realize this before it is too late
your soul as pure as light radiates from within
and it makes you glow and beam and always look lovely
and my dear one—
if you could see yourself the way i see you
the way you always see others,

then will you realize you are worth it,
that you are beautiful,
and that you are so infinitely loved

pride is not always the flashy colors
or the handmade signs,
it does not need marching
nor does it require speaking out

sometimes it is enough
to wake up, feeling comfortable
knowing that you are you

and that is okay

darkness has tried to capture my heart
the moment it started beating
it has tried to capture its rhythm
and force it to a pitiful stop
until it knows no love nor compassion

but time and time again
i have conquered the darkness
and made it my own
i had taken the darkest parts
i knew were inside of me and
creating beautiful music
one the darkness could never match
one so peaceful and gentle,
even that darkness
dare not interrupt its song

i was bulletproof
yet you were the one
taking bullets for me,

i was the one who could fly
yet you had grown your own wings
so i would not tire using mine,

i possess super strength
but you would hold the
weight of the world on your shoulders
so i need not know its pain,

i was the one who saved others
until you came along
and showed me what it was like
to be saved

one of the greatest joys in life
is to find a home,
a place where there is no malice
no hurt, no loss
a place where there
is only love and acceptance
and the promise of growth

and the thing that makes it so great
is being able to
find that home
within yourself

i have long since
made the mistake
of removing the jewels
from my crown
so that men
can carry its weight

never knowing that
i had the strength
to carry it by myself
all along

my whole life i had waited
for those who had left
to come back
and i had never changed
in the fear that
they will not recognize
who i have become

but i realized
i am more than those who left
and i have found who i am
in those that stayed

you were so vast
that i could spend hours
exploring you to your depths
and losing myself to your waters
but just to find myself
only having scratched the surface

which is harder? to learn how to live without the love of the person you love the most, or to learn how to live without having it at all?

that sweet orange glow envelops me
as it starts to sing its swan song
but the night is never too kind
for the sunset never gets to finish
and its song remains unsung

however, i do not panic; i do not fret
i know that the sun will have another chance
tomorrow, it will try again
it will sing and it will sing for all its worth

be that sunset
remain vigilant and tireless
sing despite the heavens' determination
to **** your voice,
sing for them as a song so beautiful
the night will remain asleep
and darkness cannot overcome you

the gods must be so cruel
to keep me awake at night
thinking of you,
all the while knowing that
you are sound asleep
and dreaming of her

i tell you to run and hide
as i close my eyes and count to ten
by the time i reopen my eyes
and begin my search for you
i feel no unease or panic
for i know that no matter
how far you wander
i will always find my way back to you

falling from the heavens
down to the unforgiving ground
doesn't sound so bad
when you are certain that
there will be forgiving arms
to catch you

in trying to ‪fight of an artist's block
i was told to go back to what i know,
and my mind instantly went to you
my hands had perfected your every curve,
every nook and crevice
i could draw you with my eyes closed
knowing that it would still come out perfect
for you were my greatest masterpiece
something no artist's block could ever touch